It’s magic: How an elderly Hong Kong resident is filling his every moment to keep Alzheimer’s at bay
William Lau does community service, balloon twisting, magic, hiking and swimming – and has now been nominated for a Spirit of Hong Kong award
Retiree William Lau Chi-keung keeps himself busy in a multitude of fun ways.
It’s all noted in his diary, which is almost always full: Monday, community service awards; Tuesday, Shatin balloon twisting; Wednesday, Caritas elderly centre committee meeting; Thursday, PHAB Association event; Friday, make 55 balloon flowers and two Roman columns for Caritas; Saturday, magic show in Sham Shui Po; Sunday, hiking. Outside the calendar borders, “write article” is scribbled.
Lau is an organised man, but it’s not just a preference – it’s a necessity. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease about 10 years ago and has been fighting his fading memory to maintain a functional, full life.
He had retired to Vancouver, when one day he couldn’t remember where he’d parked his car. It went downhill from there. “If you can’t drive, you have no life there,” he says, explaining his decision to move back to Hong Kong. “I grew up here, so the streets are etched deep in my brain. And public transport is so great, I don’t need to drive.”
So he now fills the gaps in his memory with notes, made frequently and meticulously, with remarkably neat handwriting. He fills gaps in his time with making people – particularly the elderly – smile.
In Canada, he’d picked up the basics of balloon twisting, with which he entertained old Chinese folks who are moved there by their children and end up trapped behind language and cultural barriers.
After returning to Hong Kong, he signed up to volunteer at Caritas and the Salvation Army, often visiting senior citizens who live alone. “It’s so sad. Many of them are abandoned by their children. I go chat with them, and check if they’re taking their medicine properly,” he says.
One day, the Caritas staff found a magic kit at their centre. “I read well in English, so I went through the instructions and taught myself the tricks.” He fell in love with it and began a post-retirement career as an entertainer.
He’s since upped his magician skills, learning from books and the internet and buying increasingly advanced props, and expanded his repertoire to include clowning and a master level of balloon twisting.
With a positive outlook on life, natural dramatic streak and cheeky grin, he also inspired a woman, Elisa Lee, who was struggling to cope with family tragedies, to put down her woes and pick up the craft. They are now performance partners, and together teach their skills to others to spread the fun further.
Lau lives to entertain and loves that he can work magic to bring cheer to the disadvantaged. But he humbly remarks that he’s really helping himself, with the hope that the cerebral stimulation will keep his brain going a little longer.
He’s hopping fit at 69, a firm believer in keeping the body, mind and soul healthy.
Lau, who’s been nominated by Caritas for a Community Contribution Award in the South China Morning Post’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, swims and hikes regularly, and is a both a fire safety and road safety ambassador. He is a Caritas Lai Kok Elderly Centre committee member, writes opinion pieces for newspapers and hosts discussions at old folks’ centres about topics like euthanasia. Last year, he earned an Outstanding Third Age Citizens award for pursuing life-long learning and actively participating in social services.
No magic spell can stop Lau’s Alzheimer’s from worsening, but, for the time being, this magician won’t be stopped by it either.
